United Methodists commission Korean-American 'mission pastors'

STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS) – The first group of Korean-American "mission pastors" has been commissioned by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

The mission pastors are part of a plan being developed by the board and the United Methodist National Committee on Korean-American Ministries to better minister to that population.

Introduced during the April 20-23 board meeting here, the plan will help developing congregations become chartered as official Korean United Methodist churches.

"Korean-Americans (in the church) see this as a major step forward," the Rev. John McCullough, associate general secretary for mission personnel, told directors.

The plan also offers a way for the board to work with the denomination's jurisdictions, annual conferences and local churches, he said.

The number of Korean-American United Methodist congregations has jumped from less than a dozen to nearly 300 in recent years, according to McCullough. Since 1981, more than half of the new United Methodist churches formed have been Korean-American.

To serve unchartered congregations, the new category of "mission pastors" has been created. Eligible candidates either are capable of meeting the requirements of elder's orders within three years or are already clergy but have expressed a calling to this specific ministry.

During their three-year term, the mission pastors will receive some salary support, along with pension and health benefits, from the Board of Global Ministries. The jurisdictions pay the rest of the salaries.

The plan calls for 40 pastors and five superintendents in the first mission pastors group. Thirty-four pastors and one superintendent were commissioned during the board meeting.

Commissioned were the Rev. Dae Hyon Cho of Charlotte, N.C.; the Rev. Myung Hwan Cho, Receda, Calif.; the Rev. Byung Chul Choi, Queens, N.Y.; the Rev. Hye Jah Choi, Commack, N.Y.; the Rev. Yongho Chun, Newburgh, N.Y.; the Rev. Do Shig Chung, Wailuku, Hawaii; and the Rev. Kwang Youn Han, Raleigh, N.C.

Also, the Rev. Jong Soon Hong, Kearny, N.J.; the Rev. Chee Chul Jang, Enid, Okla.; the Rev. Jae-Sik Jang, Trumbell, Conn.; the Rev. Chul Jung, Gardena, Calif.; the Rev. Raymond Kahng, Cambridge, Mass.; the Rev. Chong Kil Kim, Macon, Ga.; the Rev. Heung-Gyu Kim, Dallas; the Rev. Gwi-Deog Kim, Essex Junction, Vt.; and the Rev. Ji Tai Kim, Riverside, Calif.

Also, the Rev. Jinwoo Kim, Jacksonville, Ark.; the Rev. Nam Gon Kim, Queens, N.Y.; the Rev. Sung Nam Kim, Louisville, Ky.; the Rev. Jin Mo Koo, Garden Grove, Calif.; the Rev. Do Ung Lee, Austin, Texas; the Rev. Joseph Won-Moon Lee, Burbank, Calif.; and the Rev. Ki Yong Lee, Tucson, Ariz.

Also, the Rev. Seon Young Lee, Aurora, Colo.; Pastor Sinhoon James Lee, Jonesboro, Ga.; the Rev. Bong Won Park, Duluth, Ga.; the Rev. Misook Park, Des Plaines, Ill.; the Rev. Peter Chang-Hyung Park, Los Angeles; and the Rev. Yong Sam Park, Vista, Calif.

Also, the Rev. Pan Joo Song, Little Ferry, N.J.; the Rev. Paul Suk-Yong Yang, Los Angeles; the Rev. Yeo-Am Yoon, Hialeah, Fla.; the Rev. Bohyun Yu, Madison, N.J.; and Pastor Kook Jim Yun, Savoy, Ill.

For more information on the mission pastors program, contact the Board of Global Ministries, (212) 870-3660.

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New York, and Washington.